


The Best Gift of All

by PiscesDragon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Getting Together, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Language, Not Beta Read, Post S7 - Happy Ending, Really just all the fluff, Shiro's birthday, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:15:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22995310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PiscesDragon/pseuds/PiscesDragon
Summary: Keith doesn’t know what to get Shiro for his birthday, so he asks the other Paladins for advice. But he can’t figure out why their ideas are so unhelpful.Or: Keith is clueless. He is so so clueless.(A little fun and fluff to celebrate Shiro's birthday!)
Relationships: Allura/Lance (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 22
Kudos: 139
Collections: Shiro Birthday Celebration '20





	The Best Gift of All

**Author's Note:**

> It's two days late, but it's done! This fic is really so cheesy, but I hope you enjoy it! I couldn't let Shiro's birthday pass without doing SOMETHING to celebrate it.
> 
> No time for a beta, so please forgive any mistakes/errors you find.
> 
> Happy Birthday Shiro!

“You should give him something he’d really like,” said Hunk.

“Yeah, but I don’t know what that _is,”_ Keith grumbled, handing Hunk the wrench he needed before he could ask for it. “That’s why I’m asking you.”

Hunk leaned around from the back of the machine he was working on to stare down his friend. “How can _you_ not know what Shiro wants for his birthday?”

“I don’t know!” Keith’s exasperated shout echoed in the large empty room. 

He’d gone hunting for Hunk in a few places, namely his Lion and the Atlas, before finally finding him in the makeshift workshop he and Pidge had set up in an empty warehouse at the Garrison. After spending so much time trying to find the other Paladin, Keith wished he would have just asked someone else instead. But he figured of all of his friends, Hunk’s advice on this particular topic was bound to be the most useful.

He was running out of time, though. Shiro’s birthday was in two days, and he still had no idea what to get him. It was a VERY BIG DEAL — falling on Earth’s leap day, Shiro’s birthday only happened once every four years. Of course, now that the war was over and everything had finally begun to settle down, they would have been celebrating it regardless. But Keith knew that being back home, safe and sound on their own planet with the actual anniversary of his birth approaching, Shiro was looking forward to the big day.

Now if only he could think of a _gift._

Keith would gladly give Shiro anything and do whatever he possibly could to make him happy. _That’s what you do for people you love,_ he thought sadly. 

Not that Shiro had a clue how Keith felt. His feelings were something he’d decided long ago weren’t worth mentioning. He’d tried a few times, but then things inevitably went sideways and there were more important issues to tackle. And doing anything that might upset their relationship turned into the worst idea possible.

They were friends — and that was enough. It had to be.

Shiro might care for him, but he’d never given any hint that he might reciprocate Keith’s feelings — and there was no chance he ever would. 

Hunk gave him a contemplative look. “Well, Shiro’s not much into material things, really. What about something else he may not have a lot of? Like time with his favorite person or something?”

“I’m not even sure who that is,” Keith sighed. “Shiro likes everybody.”

Hunk ran the palm of his hand over his face and stared at Keith with dead eyes. “Let’s assume it's you, buddy. Shiro likes hanging out with you, right? You should just take him somewhere. Just the two of you.”

“You don’t think he’d want other people around for his birthday?”

“I think Shiro will be fine with whatever _you_ come up with,” Hunk answered with a smirk.

“Thanks,” Keith said sarcastically, standing up from the stool he’d been perched on. “You’ve been super helpful.”

“Sorry! I’m just being honest!” Hunk shouted at him with a laugh as Keith’s long strides carried him across the room toward the door.

_Maybe Lance would have some ideas?_ Keith thought as the heavy metal door slammed closed behind him.

*****

“Can you find a box?” Lance asked seriously, his bright blue eyes dancing with mischief as he stared at Keith over the table.

Keith had managed to track him down in the Atlas Paladin lounge, blessedly empty aside from the two of them.

“A box?” Keith echoed incredulously. “What kind of box?”

“Big enough for you to climb inside of,” Lance replied as if the answer was obvious.

“Why would I put _myself_ in a box?”

“Oh, buddy,” Lance said in a low voice, leaning toward Keith over the table as if telling a secret. “You really have no idea what Shiro wants, do you?”

“That’s why I’m asking you!” 

Keith’s outburst was interrupted by the appearance of Allura, gliding into the lounge and making herself comfortable next to Lance on the bench.

“Thought I might find you here,” she said to Lance, leaning over to give him a quick peck on the cheek. “Keith, how are you? It seems like we’re all pulled in so many different directions lately, I hardly see you.”

“Yeah, it’s been crazy,” Keith said. “I hate that we’ve all put on different tasks, but it’s just made more sense to spread ourselves out as resources instead of sticking together like normal.”

She gave him a smile as she nodded in understanding. “So what are you boys up to?”

“He’s trying to think of the perfect gift for Shiro’s birthday,” Lance replied, giving his other half a significant look which Keith couldn’t decipher.

“Oh, really?” Allura’s eyes widened, her smile lighting up her face.

“He told me to put myself in a box!” Keith offered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. 

He expected Allura to agree that it was the most ridiculous, unhelpful suggestion she’d ever heard. Instead, she asked, “Do you own a bow?”

“Like a bow tie?” Keith had no idea where his friend was going with this.

“Sure,” Allura said, looking as if she was trying hard to keep from laughing. “Or a big red one, just tied around you.”

“Are you fucking… How is me wearing a bow a present for Shiro?” Keith shouted, throwing his hands in the air. “You guys are no help.”

He bolted out of the lounge in anger. Who would have thought his friends would be so unhelpful? 

As the door shut behind him, Keith heard Lance yell, “Well, you could wear something else, but that might be skipping a few steps!”

*****

There was nothing for it. He knew better than to ask his mother or Kolivan — neither of them would have the first clue about Earth gifts. Romelle wouldn’t be any better. Matt was off-world somewhere, and he’d rather die than have to ask Matt’s parents or someone else at the Garrison for help with something that _should_ have been easy for him.

There was only one option left.

“Why are you asking me?” Pidge questioned after he’d found her in the Green Lion’s bay on the Atlas, tinkering with some tech upgrade she was working on. “I have no idea. What did everyone else tell you?”

“Hunk said I should take him somewhere with his favorite person, Lance told me to get in a box, and Allura told me to wear a big bow,” he listed off the other suggestions their friends had given. “They were all really dumb and no help at all. I’m never asking you guys for help again. You’re all useless at gift giving, and I don’t think anybody knows Shiro at _all.”_

“Seriously?” Pidge stares at him, slack jawed. “You have _no_ idea why they told you to do those things?”

“Why would Shiro like _any_ of those things for his birthday?”

“Oh my God. The Black Paladin, leader of Voltron, Senior Blade and defender of Earth really is a giant _moron,”_ Pidge snarked. “I have no idea how we survived the destruction of the universe. Your reasoning skills certainly played no part.”

“I don’t know why you’re being an asshole about it.”

“Keith, you are my friend, but you are stupid sometimes,” Pidge said, her voice dropping into an expression which he knew was as soft and caring as she was capable of. “Do yourself a favor and follow their advice. Please don’t ask me to explain it to you. Just _do it.”_

Keith was completely flabbergasted. “You want me to take Shiro somewhere, put a bow on myself and hide in a box? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Something in this scenario is dumb, but it’s not the suggestions,” Pidge deadpanned. “Trust me. It’s the best present you could possibly give Shiro.”

None of it made any sense to Keith, but if there was one thing he’d learned in the last year, it was to trust his team. He just hoped this wasn’t going to be a giant disaster. And if it was, at least there was a good chance Shiro would forgive him.

*****

Near one of the Garrison dumpsters, Keith found a box large enough to crouch into and had Kosmo help him move it to a better temporary location. The following day — Shiro’s birthday — he moved on to step two. A bright red bow and sash _thing_ was helpfully supplied by Allura and Romelle who tied around him, giggling the entire time.

Kosmo zapped him out to the desert cliff, Shiro’s favorite spot for them to go when they got a chance to hang out. After directing the wolf to find Shiro and bring him back, Keith shut himself in the box and waited, grateful the weather that particular day was mild and not unbearably hot like normal.

It took a few minutes before he heard the familiar _pop_ of Kosmo’s re-appearance.

Keith held his breath, waiting for Shiro to notice the box and investigate. Luckily, it didn’t take long before bright sunlight streamed into Keith’s eyes, blinding him for a moment before Shiro’s shadow blocked the light as he looked down into the box.

“Wha…?” Shiro was clearly puzzled. No wonder — there was no way he had been expecting to be teleported into the desert, only to be confronted with a plain cardboard box of all things.

“Um… Surprise?” Keith said awkwardly, standing up inside the box and just grateful to be able to stretch his legs again.

He looked up into Shiro’s beautiful eyes as his own cringed with worry over his friend’s reaction. Luckily, the fondness he always saw in the grey depths was still present.

“Keith!” Shiro’s confused expression morphed into a smile bigger than Keith had possibly ever seen. His voice was somewhat shy as he asked, “Are _you_ my present?”

Shiro’s large hand reached up to run a finger over the bow that covered Keith’s torso.

“Um—"

_“Keith.”_ Shiro’s voice was impossibly soft as he moved to wrap his arms around Keith, still standing awkwardly inside the huge box. 

Pulled into a hug with his chest tight against Shiro’s and his face tucked into the warm skin of Shiro’s neck, Keith felt pretty sure _he_ was the one being given a gift. As he inhaled, the scent of cologne, sweat, and _Shiro_ flooded Keith’s brain, and he only barely resisted the urge to press his lips to the soft skin.

“I wasn’t sure what to get you, so…” Keith said quietly, drawing back to look at Shiro’s face.

He couldn’t believe how happy his friend looked with what Keith considered the most ridiculously inept gift ever.

“I didn’t think you… You’ve never said…” Shiro, the man who gave speeches to the entire planet and the galaxy without breaking a sweat, seemed at a loss for words. But his smile was blinding as he swallowed nervously and cupped the back of Keith’s neck with his hand. “You’re everything I could ever want.”

Keith blinked at him like a lost puppy, trying to process the words, but they made no sense. _Keith_ was everything Shiro wanted. Wait — _what?!_

“Shiro —” Whatever question he was about to ask was abruptly cut off by the press of lips covering his own.

Keith may have been startled, but his quick wits and lightning reflexes didn’t fail him. He had the good sense to recognize that _SHIRO WAS KISSING HIM_ and resisted the impulse to push him away. Shiro’s fingers were woven into the hair at the back of his neck, soft lips were teasing his own, and all Keith could do was grab ahold of Shiro’s waist firmly and enjoy the ride.

Briefly, Keith wondered if he had somehow hyperventilated inside the box moments ago, and was actually passed out from oxygen deprivation in the middle of the desert. Then Shiro’s mouth parted, allowing Keith’s tongue to dive in and slide against his, and Keith decided that if he was dying, hallucination was a hell of a way to go.

Shiro pulled back so they could catch their breath, his face flushed and eyes bright like he was glowing. “Wow… We should have done that years ago.”

“What?” Head spinning from his entire world having shifted on its axis within the last few minutes, Keith was a bit slow to process the words. “ _Years?_ What do you mean years?”

“Keith, I’ve been crazy about you for a long time. I thought you knew and just weren’t interested,” Shiro said, his fingers still playing idly with the back of Keith’s hair, as if he wasn’t even aware of their actions.

Keith.exe stopped functioning, but somehow a question still managed to claw up from his throat in a wheezing screech. _“What?”_

Shiro’s response was less certain. “Yeah?”

“Years? _Years?_ Are you serious?” Keith’s hands clenched the fabric of Shiro’s shirt, but whether it was to ground himself in reality or keep his legs under him, he couldn’t be sure.

“You didn’t know?”

“How could I know?” Keith asked, incredulous. _When had Shiro ever given him any indication he felt something more than friendship?_

Shiro’s smile was sheepish. “I didn’t think I was exactly subtle.”

“You can’t be serious,” Keith said. He refused to believe it was possible the man had been sending clear signals, and he just missed them. It wasn’t possible. “Why didn’t _you_ say anything? I told you I love you for crying out loud!”

Shiro’s brows pulled together as he retorted loudly, “You also said I was your brother!”

Keith’s emotions, a jumbled mess at this point, could not be contained.

“You’re my fucking everything! There’s not a word in English for what you are!” he shouted.

Shiro cut off his anger with a blazing kiss, completely opposite of the timid and tender affection of before. His mouth was fierce and demanding, and sent a scorching heat shooting through Keith’s body, pooling and pulsing low in his belly. They grabbed at each other, pulling closer, as if the universe might try to rip one of them away at any moment.

Experience had certainly taught them it was always a possibility.

It was completely overwhelming — the feeling of Shiro’s strong arms wrapped around him, palms pressed to his back to force Keith’s body against his own, combined with the magical dance his mouth was doing with Keith’s tongue. Forget food or sleep or oxygen… Keith decided immediately he could just survive on kissing Shiro forever.

Fortunately, at least Shiro had the sense to recognize air was not negotiable, and separated them enough to breathe, sharing the same warm air as their foreheads rested together.

“Well, I’m glad you figured it out,” Shiro said softly. His eyes were closed, and he held Keith gently like he was something precious. “This is the best birthday ever.”

Except, Keith _hadn’t_ actually known what Shiro wanted. The gears in his brain spun helplessly — should he say anything? Shiro looked so happy. But what if one of the other Paladins made a comment, and he figured out Keith hadn’t intended for his gift to be received this way? Obviously, Keith had no complaints, but he couldn’t help but fear how Shiro might react. The last thing they needed was any more miscommunication. 

Better to be honest.

“I didn’t exactly figure it out,” Keith admitted into the front of Shiro’s shirt like a coward. “How you felt, I mean.”

Shiro’s chest expanded with his sharp intake of breath, and the vibrations of his voice moved in a wave through Keith’s skull as he questioned, “Then… But why…?”

“I asked the other Paladins what to get you,” Keith answered quickly, and everything clicked into place as he realized exactly what his friends had accomplished. “Oh my God, they set me up! Or I guess, they set _us_ up.”

Shiro’s hand reached under Keith’s chin to lift it, forcing his eyes up to make contact. His expression was slightly concerned. “What are you talking about?”

“They all acted like I was an idiot,” Keith explained with a short laugh. “And I _am_ an idiot. God, they all knew! Everybody realized you… wanted me. Except me.”

Shiro gazed down at him fondly, a small smile playing on his lips. “I guess I’ll just have to be very clear from now on.”

He leaned down and claimed Keith’s mouth with another searing kiss that made the younger man’s head spin.

“Yeah, clear,” Keith murmured in a daze. “Clear is good.”

As Shiro lifted him out of the box, Keith’s arms tightened around Shiro’s neck and his legs wrapped around the taller man’s hips of their own accord. He felt like a monkey clinging to a tree, but with Shiro’s prosthetic hand under his entire backside holding him in place, Keith had no qualms about staying there.

“So, I guess I should really go thank the rest of the team, then?” Shiro asked with a grin, showing no indication of putting Keith down.

“Well, you could always do that later,” Keith said. “I blocked out my whole schedule today, so I’m yours for whatever you want to do.”

_“Whatever_ I want?” If the loaded question wasn’t clear enough, Shiro’s hooded eyes gave him away completely.

“I mean, I’ve got some ideas…” Keith responded. He leaned in to Shiro’s ear to add in a low voice, “You haven’t unwrapped your _present_ yet.”

Shiro’s head looked to the side to eye the box. “Wasn’t that what I did?”

“I was thinking more…” Keith’s lips wrapped around a delicate earlobe and bit gently. “Thoroughly.”

Shiro groaned, his body twitching in response. “Yeah?”

“Apparently we’ve got years of missed opportunity to make up for.” Keith kissed his way along the edge of Shiro’s jaw, internally ecstatic at the fact that he could _do_ all the things he’d dreamed about for so long. “Don’t you think we should start now?”

“Yeah,” Shiro agreed in a gravelly voice that made the butterflies in Keith’s stomach swirl in excitement. “Here?”

Keith only barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “It’s not like I’m gonna say no, but I think a bed would be a lot more comfortable, don’t you?”

“How are we going to get —”

Before he could finish the question, Keith covered Shiro’s ears with his hands and gave a loud, shrill whistle. With a pop, Kosmo appeared, his tongue hanging from his mouth and giving him the appearance of a happy smile.

“Hey, boy,” Keith greeted from his perch still in Shiro’s arms. “Take us home.”

Shiro reached over with his free hand to ruffle Kosmo’s fur, and with a pop and a blast of desert dust, the new couple teleported back to the Atlas to put the remaining hours of Shiro’s birthday to very good use.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Comments and kudos always appreciated :D


End file.
